ONWARD TO ALASKA 2010
July 13, 2010
Newark NJ to Seattle to Alaska…
Dolores and I will begin our 9th trip together. Yes, the “most excellent adventure awaits !”
This year it’s a cruise on the Royal Caribbean’s “Rhapsody of the Seas.” We will leave standby flight at 7:10 AM Wednesday, for a two night stay in Seattle and then it cruising time!
We will visit Victoria, British Columbia after stopping in Juneau and Skagway. I’m all packed and ready for take off!
Seattle-
July 14, 2010
A delayed flight on the runway,- boo hoo- but we finally take off at 8:30 AM and arrive in Seattle six hours later and check in to Comfort Suites on Roy Street.
A quick stop at the grocery, is a must to purchase Alaskan local beer ( additional fortitude needed to carry on!)
A toast to Alaska and we are off to Pike Peak’s market.
A great lunch at ” Lowells” is in order . Salmon sandwiches are delicious, as is the Mannys Ale.
After a bit of a walk, we stroll upon Bastille day at Café Campaign, a street festival boasting Parisian food, wine, beer and perfumes. They are presenting a “Party for the Revolutionaries”.
Burlesque dancers, local bands, and Can Can girls! (We even get lucky and spot a cute French guy to gaze upon.)
Since we are are too full to stuff our faces, we wander further along to Post Alley. If you are up for it you can nosh on bagels, listen to local bands, and sample wines and beers. I can’t help but spot the the awesome T-shirts there. They are pretty funny -the back of one shirt says” Girls Taste Better!” Here is the clue- The name of the store is called “The Tasting Room”.
Soon we are heading towards Miners’s Landing by Elliott Bay to the ” Fisherman’s Restaurant” on the waterfront. We sit outside and check out the cheesy shops that sell souvenirs.
We take goofy photos of mummy women , the indoor carousel and pirate stuff. And soon its onward to Pioneer Square to walk a bit. We find the underground tour but we are 15 minutes late so it’s not going to happen. Instead we stop at a bar with live jazz music and Creole New Orleans food.
I order rice and beans and Dolores has crawfish. We take a Pedi cab bike for $10. It’s getting late so it beats walking. Dolores It’s still hungry so we find the Five Point Café at 11:30PM. Yup, a roast beef sandwich and potato salad! It’s now time for bed finally it’s been a long day. Nighty night.
Seattle, WA |
July 15, 2010 Thursday.
We check into The Marriott Spring Hill suites on Yale street and have breakfast in the dining room.
Upon returning I realize the zipper on my suitcase is broken so now there is no choice but to go to the Ross Department store in town and purchase a new one. Can’t have all my stuff falling out of the suitcase!
But too many hours shopping! UHG!
Later, a relaxing shower calms me down and we head out to the Sci-FI museum and music experience- ( to meet a few SCI FI friends!)
Afterwards, we enjoy a stop at the “Living Room Bar and Café in Seattle at 1355 Olive St.
We listen to piped in blues music and enjoy a glass of Cabernet.
It’s hot but we eat olives and take goofy pictures of the room and ourselves.
Next stop “The Buck” on Capitol Hill. Very unique . There is a maniquin with one arm in the ladies room. It’s Northwest cabin style atmosphere. Dolores has a gin and tonic I have vodka and OJ at three bucks apiece goes well with our salsa and chips.
Last stop of the evening is the “Knee-High Stockings“speakeasy tavern.
https://www.kneehighstocking.com
and then Linda‘s for a nightcap and three dollar sliders. Very cool, very young, good music.
Time for light outs!
Tomorrow we sail!
July 16, 2010 Friday
It’s finally cruise day. I am up at 4:10 in the a.m. once again. We enjoy a full breakfast downstairs at the Marriott, pack your stuff and we are out the door by 11:15 AM and on the shuttle to the cruise.
The process to get on the ship is well organized and easy and we arrive in plenty of time. We stroll the ship loving the gorgeous weather! Time for a dip in the pool, a beverage and some dancing on the deck!
By evening we are ready for a nice dinner in the Edelweiss room. We order the wine package- a bit pricey- but hey this is what they do. Before dinner we see the comedy show. So worth it!
Art Auction- Day 5
July 17, 2010.
Today we are at sea. I slept for 10 hours! We spend a few hours a the art auction which was very nice. Bonus points for the free champagne!
Pool and hot tub, check!
Captains meet up and dinner, check!
We dance the night away in the Viking lounge.
Tomorrow we will be in Juneau Alaska!
Juneau, AK- Day 6
Juneau, AK |
July 18, 2010 .
After an early breakfast in the Windjammer Café, we pull into the port at Juneau. Beautiful,massive evergreens envelope us!
Fun facts about Juneau
The tongue is national Forest is the largest temperate rainforest in North America, covering nearly 17,000,000 acres including nearly all of Alaska inside passage.The old growth trees of Tongue can be between 200 to 700 years old.
I spot my first bald eagle. No words.
At 12 noon we dock at Juneau. It’s a short 10 minute walk and then a 12 minute shuttle to the Mendenhall glacier. We are mendalsized!
We hike to the falls on the Nugget Falls Trail. Amazing.
At 3:15 PM we are on our way to the Alaskan brewery for some free samples (well not actually free $1.50 each)
Back in town for a delicious bowl of chowder soup at the Hanger In The Wharf on the harbor.
We walk through town quickly and head back to the ship at 7:30 PM to get ready for the captains invite for free drinks and Appy’s. A quick dinner at the Windjammer and a Broadway show later. It’s been a long day. We actually hit the sack at 11 PM.
July 19, 2010 Monday.
Today we are off to see Skagway. We go to the National Historic Park Klondike Gold Rush to get our passport books stamped and see a showing of a movie inside about the gold rush.
Of course, we make a stop at the Morehouse Brewery in Skagway -great local beers -Chilcoot IPA. We write out postcards and stay about an hour.
For more info on this area:
https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/historyculture/skagwaydistrict.htm
This is where the “White Pass“ train ride is. However we decline as it is $120. Ouch!
Onward to the Mascot Saloon -it’s a re-creation of the time period. Very cool to see and lots of history. They have original beer bottles and cigar boxes that they found underground.
A walk to the Gold Rush Brewery is in order. It’s about 2 miles at the end of the town. Beautiful scenery nearby, but the place was empty and the beer was flat! However, the walls were cool you could write your name in magic markers- felt like kindergarten!
Next stop is the famous Red Onion Saloon and Brothel.. Very authentic and we feel like we are back in the day. We snack on chips and beers and take a photo with a waitress dressed in a corset with giant boobs. The men smile at her a lot!
But alas we must go back to the ship by 8 PM.Dinner dessert , Champagne auction and piano music. Chocolate covered strawberries included!
Time for bed!
Tracy Arm Fijord-Day 8
July 20, 2010
Oh my God it’s an early day! Up at 3:45 AM!
……to get a view of the amazing glaciers in Tracy aArm Fjord.
Stunning doesn’t even begin to capture the beauty of this land.
The Tracy Arm Fjord is covered in ice and perfectly sculpted by ancient glaciers.
Waterfalls cascade down 3000 foot high granite wall. It is about 35 miles long as it leaves through the Tongass national forest of Alaska.
The Sawyer glaciers at the end of Tracy Arm are said to be Alaska’s most dramatic. Framed by mountains on either side they are often bathed in a light mist that amplifies the blue hue of ice.
I have hot chocolate outside on the windy deck and try to take it all in. When will I crash?
A Day at Sea- Day 9
Pool day.
Read.
Sleep.
Chill.
Repeat.
British Columbia, Canada- Day 10
British Columbia Jul 22, 2010 British Columbia, Canada |
British Columbia, Canada
The shuttle to downtown Victoria, British Columbia takes us to the Royal British Museum. There is rich history inside the walls of the wild land shaped by earth, ice and water. Open since 1886 and preserved to share the human and natural histories of this province. What a treat!
The royal British Museum is a place to slide back in time to the Ice Age and chill with a woolly mammoth. You can see how the fur trade touched and forever changed the lives of the first peoples in British Columbia .climb aboard Captain George Vancouver ship as she anchors in Nooka sound. Imagine life on a remote Homestead, Or a salmon cannery , or at a sawmill or in one of British Columbia is early underground hard rock mines.
And a look at the famous.. Empress Hotel!
Lunch at The Canoe – a 19th century heritage landmark on Victoria’s downtown waterfront.
Soon, we are off to Chinatown and Big Bad John’s. Bra’s hanging from the ceiling and walls! Fun place.
Back to the ship and back to the real world!
Awesome time on Royal Caribbean!
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